Dash-board for vehicles



(No Model.)

0. L. BAKER,

DASH BOARD FOR VEHICLES.

No. 397,329. Patented'Feb. 5, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

CLAYTON L. BAKER, OF ENGLEIVOOD, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE ABBOTTBUGGY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DASH-BOARD FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,829, dated February5, 1889.

Application filed March 26, 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAYTON L. 'iAKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Englewood, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Dash-Boards forVehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of forming the metallicframe-work of dashboards for vehicles. As usually constructed suchdash-boards consist of a metallic skeleton frame-work. covered withleather, the frame-work having suitable means for securing it to thevehicle-body. This frame-wor has heretofore been made of lightwroughtiron bars or rods welded together to form a rectangular frame ofthe required size, and usually having cross-bars to impart strength tothe frame as well as to support the material used for covering the same.These dashboards are of different lengths and heights, and have been,both with respect to labor and material, comparatively expensive.

The object of my invention is to construct these dash-board frames ofsuitable material, (preferably of malleable iron,) in sections andinterchangeable, so that dash-boards of various sizes are readily madeup by selecting parts of suitable length, and to produce a dash-boardframe of the desired strength and lightness at a small initial cost.

One special ad vantage of my improved construction consists in my beingable to cast said interchangeable sections when made of malleable iron.the expense of thus casting the same being considerably less than whenwrought-iron bars or rods are used, which reduction in expense appliesequally to the saving in putting the frame-work of the dash boardtogether, the wrought-iron bars requiring labor in welding, while myinterchangeable malleable-iron sections are easily and securely unitedby the employment of rivets, as shown by the drawings, or by othersuitable means.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents my improved frame inelevation ready for the covering material. Fig. 2 is a similar view ofthe end sections thereof, the side connecting-bars for connecting theend sections omitted. Fig. is a similar view of Serial No. 268,466. (Nomodel.)

the complete frame, but showing the upright bars of the frameadjustable, with provision whereby they may be adjusted to differentheights. Figs. 4t and 5 show the end bars provided with means forconnecting them to vehicles having straight and slanting bodies,respectively.

In the form of construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the frame iscomposed of two rectangular frames, A B C D, which are preferably eastin one piece from malleable iron. These corner frames are then connectedby bars E F, also of malleable iron, by means of rivets, bolts, andnuts, or other suitable device. It is obvious that the frame may be madelong or short by selecting longer or shorter connecting-bars. I preferto cut away the meeting ends of these sections and of theframe-sections, as shownsay half the thickness of eaehwhereby when theframes are joined by means of the connecting-sections the frames andsections shall stand in the same plane.

In Fig. 3 the corner frame A B O D is made adjustable vertically byproviding it with eonnecting-sections G II.

Fig. I- shows a dash-board having a shank suitable to. be connected tothe ordinary phaeton.

Fig. 5 illustrates a shank or connectingarm which adapts the dash-boardto be connected to a surrey. This shank or connectingarm is formedintegrally with the end sections of the dash-frame, and thisconstruction is a great improvement upon "the old .method of welding theshank to the corners of the frame. By casting it integral therewith themetal may be spread so as to give a considerable thickness or breadth ofmaterial, and at the same -time it is much cheaper than the old methodof welding the shank to the frame. Another method heretofore employedhas been to make the shank and dash-frame separately and bolt the twotogether. This construction is objectionable for the reason that thebolts work loose.a Actual experiment with dash-frames of the varioussorts above mentioned has demonstrated that a cast malleable frame withan integral shank whereby to attach it to the vehicle-body can be madelighter, cheaper, and stronger than either of IO rectangular form havingat the outer corners thereof integral attaching shanks or feet provicledwith bolt-holes, whereby to adapt the frame to be secured to thevehicle-body, and connecting-bars whereby to secure the end sectionstogether, substantially as described. 15

CLAYTON L. BAKER.

Witnesses C. C. LINTHI UM, FREDERICK G. GOODWIN.

